Talespin movie; Finding your Roots, part one, Chapter ten
Chapter ten of Talespin movie; Finding your Roots, part one. Story The Swatzi-fleet is continuing their hunt for the Sea Duck, only finding it in a fog-smothered archipelago will be tough and dangerous. One swazti, an Ibizan-hound arrives to break the news to Admiral Houndkoff. "Yes?" Houndkoff asks from his chair, "our aircraft have sighted the Sea Duck sir, but it has entered a fog-laden archipelago and we cannot risk-" the soldier explained, "an archipelago covered in fog does not concern me mister, I want that plane, not excuses" Houndkoff scoffed, "yes admiral" the soldier relented. As for the Sea Duck, they were currently hiding in a cave in the archipelago. It is so dark that the cave's exact dimensions are impossible to determine. "I'm going to shut down everything but the emergency power systems" Baloo stated switching some switches off, "sir I'm almost afraid to ask, but does that include shutting all our gear down too? Felix asks, "no I need you to talk to the Duck, find out what's wrong with the overdrive" Baloo jokes, suddenly the place shakes, causing all the loose items in the cockpit to go flying, "guys, it's quite possible this cave is not entirely stable" Oscar theorized, "not entirely stable? I'm glad you're here to tell us these things, Rey take the professor in the back and plug him into the overdrive" Riven requests humorously, she and others do just that, "oh! sometimes I just don't understand him, after all, I'm only trying to look after us all..." Oscar complained while being shoved out, leaving only Baloo Rebecca Riven and Clara in the cockpit, suddenly the plane shakes again, throwing Rebecca across the cabin into Baloo's arms, then abruptly, the motion stops as suddenly as it started, with some surprise Baloo and Rebecca realize they are in each other's arms, "let go" Rebecca demanded but Baloo shushed her, "let go please" she repeats and flushes averting her eyes: she's not exactly fighting to get free, but of course, Baloo blows it, "don't get all excited" he retorts, "Baloo being held by you isn't quite enough to get me excited" Rebecca insults, "sorry sweetheart, we haven't got time for anything else" Baloo teases and leaves, making Clara and Riven giggle as Rebecca's confused emotions show clearly on her lovely face. Back with Kit, he was in a hospital in who-knows-where. The bear-teen didn't seem to have the strength to ask for a drink of water, although he needed one desperately, his lips were cracked and sore, his mouth felt dry while his tongue almost seemed permanently stuck to the roof of it, sticky, coated and uncomfortable. As Kit opened his eyes slowly, so slowly, even the dimmest lights caused a sharp jab of agony to confront him, and his remarkably tender head. The bear wished for silence to let him sleep, but what he kept hearing seemed so out of place and unnerving: an occasional boom followed by cracking, or an out and out explosion. Kit didn't quite recognize it, nor did he recognize his surroundings: the bed he was in, the room, everything...none of it was familiar, and none of it was quite clean: the dinginess of the once white walls apparent even in the semi-darkness, the cracks in the walls. Kit eased his head up to look around: there were many different empty spots throughout the room that indicated where bed after bed had been placed, now however there were only three, and his was the only one occupied. There seemed to be no one in sight...and no noise except the...shelling? was that what it could be? who on earth would be shelling here? he thought, wherever here was of course, he wasn't sure if he was still in Dracovia or not. Like missing pieces in a puzzle, several important memories continued to escape Kit, frustrating him when he tried to look at the big picture, and by the stars his blasted head hurt! gingerly Kit placed his index finger on the bandage that covered most of his tousled hair and sore throbbing brain, a twinge of pain accompanied it, but still nothing, thank goodness, in comparison to the terrible agony he was gradually beginning to remember. Incredibly, indeed almost miraculously, nothing appeared to be broken, except maybe his wrapped and painful ribs of course, what had Baloo once said? about him being born under a lucky star? the pilot wasn't kidding. Kit sat quietly all of a sudden: Baloo...the teenager could barely see out of the window, but all that met his gaze was a gray and cloudy sky; hostile and depressing. The grey bear was probably worried sick by now, a hundred crashes, a hundred times that first his partner, then he himself had said that it wouldn't happen again, that the next time they would know what to expect. Kit stared down at hands, he sure hadn't this time...had he? and he'd even promised that he would be more careful, try not to place himself in danger, but it wasn't just about himself anymore...and he'd forgotten once again, despite his good intentions, despite his confidence, here he was. Frustrated, grimacing Kit attempted to pull himself up and out of the bed, trying unsuccessfully to ignore the escalating pain in his side. Time to answer the question of where _here_ was. Once again the young bear underestimated what exactly had happened: his weakened body wouldn't support his weight so soon, especially when there was nothing to assist him, or to keep him standing upright, the rookie hit the floor with unanticipated speed, seeing stars, breathless with the pain, his vision gradually blurred and begins to darken, despite his efforts to stay conscious. He felt far, far away when he heard the footsteps, and voices. He couldn't quite see who it was that held him up, or helped him back into the bed. He wanted to rest...he'd even admit it. Groaning, Kit opened his eyes to slits, he could almost see Baloo standing over him with that concerned expression that he'd always worn whenever Kit had been ill. He felt...or was he just remembering...the bear's large hand on his forehead when he'd felt feverish, or Baloo's presence, always there right when he needed it when he'd been under the weather, and ashamed because of it. It felt so good...seeing the pilot again. Kit didn't even consider himself to be clingy, but it was incredibly reassuring thinking that Baloo was right there beside him, and that he didn't have to try and face the consequences of his actions alone. Opening his eyes wider Kit smiled, which quickly vanished as he blinked suddenly and scowled at the young-wombat-nurse standing over him, an uncertain, if not sympathetic expression in her large eyes. The girl's face registered a faint shadow of fear. Kit blinked again, letting his eyes focus on her, not quite believing what he was seeing. She's so young!! he thought, what in heaven's name was someone so young doing here...doing this job? she barely looked older than Molly or Ramón, though in actuality she was probably quite a few years ahead of those two, and...she was so thin! scrawny, just skin and bones. Kit stared unabashedly for a moment, the girl took a rag from deep within her pocket to dip it in a bowl of relatively clean, or so Kit hoped, water, wrung it out and placed it on his forehead, a tiny half-smile appeared on her face, still with the deep traces of uneasiness and...something...Kit thought he recognized it, pain. The teenager-bear-boy didn't understand what was happening, he was beginning to get a sinking feeling though: this place, the constant shelling, the explosions, and this waif of a wombat-girl, the first person he'd seen since that crash with Dante, he thought he knew what she was...if only he had as clear of an idea about _where_ he was, and where Dante was if he's okay. The nurse placed the rag on Kit's forehead, muttering something unintelligible under her breath and straightening the rookie's bed-sheets when Kit reached out suddenly and gently grasped the girl's wrist, she recoiled and pulled away as though he'd forcibly struck her, Kit, confused and ashamed quickly released his soft grip, "wait!" he started as she quickly made her way to the door, "I-I'm sorry, didn't mean to-hey wait, please!! I just have to ask about my frie...." he added but stopped as the girl disappeared, he crumpled one bed-sheet fiercely in one hand and slammed his other fist into the yielding mattress cursing, he hadn't wanted to frighten her, she seemed so...fragile, it just blew the bear's mind. That sickening sensation in the pit of his stomach was definitely starting to grow. The bear leaned back onto the thin pillow sighing. He couldn't sleep, not with the constant noise, and certainly not with so many questions plaguing him. He had to get out of here, wherever here was. He felt as useless as...as...well as he'd felt throughout this entire war, being stuck here. Baloo and Rebecca were probably sick with worry at this point. Kit turned over, easing his sore body into a more comfortable position, but sleep still evaded him. The bear wasn't sure of how many hours had passed with the only noise coming from the outside, the shrieking that notified all of an incoming shell, the blasting, all slowly driving him insane. He heard some footsteps outside the door, one pair soft, another, the sharp tap of boots against a hard surface, and finally the squeak of a different sort of shoe making it's presence known in the room. Turning and sitting up too quickly Kit felt a blinding pain in his side as he eased himself back down. A now familiar face appeared over him as the nurse tentatively smoothed his covers once more. Kit didn't move. The girl acted afraid of him, yet here she was again, and who knew how many other times she had been here when he'd been delirious and in pain? Two more faces appeared, one a young...my god incredibly young, wombat-boy in a tattered, but clean uniform painstakingly pressed and decorated, the marsupial glared fiercely at Kit before speaking harshly to the nurse in a language that Kit once again couldn't understand, he just watched the two...they looked like two children quarreling, which was approximately what they were (and maybe siblings too), as the girl motioned towards him and answered back defensively, the soldier's lip curled as he stepped away, roughly taking the girl's arm and pulling her out of the door. Kit did sit up at that regardless of the pain, the girl looked back at him for one moment as he watched the two bewildered, she no longer looked afraid, just tired, she didn't put up a fight as the soldier continued to drag her out, Kit gritted his teeth and attempted to pull himself up and out of the bed in a vain effort to follow the pair, but a hand quickly pushed the bear back, "hey now...don't think she went ta all that effort for you to be messing it up, eh?" a new voice said, Kit looked at the other stranger astonished: a Tasmanian-devil-man stood beside his bed smiling stiffly at him, he had a cast on one leg and a rickety pair of crutches supporting his weight precariously at best, Kit stared back not replying, the devil spoke up once again, "bet you're 'bout to have a stroke wondering what the 'ell's going on, I was thinking the same thing when all 'o them brought me 'ere" he remarked, Kit continued to stare: he was speaking English, but he sounded Australian, as though the devil was reading Kit's mind he smirked, "Usland, eh? that's what that little sheila be saying to me...don't exactly know how she'd be knowing though, but...since I be the only one 'round 'ere now who speaks on your terms, suppose I should introduce my self" he explained, Kit recognized it now: it was friendly, certainly a pleasant reminder of a place he remembered fondly, the young-bear smiled back, "I just thought that I'd scared the life out of her, I didn't think she was paying any attention to what I was saying" Kit notes, "oh she was paying attention alright, though half expected her to give you up as a goner afore this, pretty close call mate, you and your bird friend" the devil informed, Kit rubbed the top of his head before glancing back at the devil, so Dante is alive wherever he is, that's good, "I'm Kit, for starters, Kit Cloudkicker, Kristopher, whatever, you're from...Downunda?" Kit replies, the devil leaned back on his crutches with practiced ease, "that's right, and right in it right now, my name's Robert, an' that's all, no one 'round here even give's a care about _that_, I'm just the lad who 'ad the good sense to learn other languages way back in my golden years" the devil responds, Kit found himself relaxing, the devil's easy-going manner easy to relate to, though amazingly out of place, almost bizarre in this atmosphere, he straightened up once again, grimacing as he remembered, "but...what about...?" the young bear asked motioning towards the door, a shadow passed over Robert's face, "oh...just not happy about bringing another one 'o us in I suppose, not enough food 'ere for them, let alone extras, real pinch you could say" Robert answered and stared out of the window for a moment, eyes far away, the teenager envied his mobility, even if he was impeded by the worn-out crutches, "gal said you were asking her a question after scaring the daylights outa her" Robert joked leaning forward expression serious, whatever he'd seen through that dingy pane hadn't been encouraging, neither were the sounds penetrating, escalating in volume, coming from outside: another bombardment, Kit had been hearing them for more than a day on end now, still...he wasn't used to it, "yeah...my friend you mentioned, we, we crashed...and then..." Kit stuttered, "you were shot outa the sky" Robert simplified, Kit scowled for a nanosecond, "I guess, but I'm not even in the military, and I was-" Kit began, "you were jus' in the wrong place at the wrong time" the devil interrupted, the young bear sighed and looked pointedly at his companion...or more so at the continued interruptions, "okay...how's this" Kit said glaring at the now smug-looking devil who cocked his head expectantly, "I was shot down after merely escaping Reichland with my friend when Swatzis invaded, I don't know how I got here, but we were heading for Dracovia, I had to go through some Jepang-controlled airspace, I...it was a stupid mistake, a rookie maneuver, but it happened" Kit described, "you're lucky ta be in one piece mate, both of you, the bird's still in Dracovia last I heard, but you were brought here cause you were too close to the enemy" Robert explained and propped one cheek on the palm of his hand, elbow resting neatly on a crutch, still waiting, "I-I have no idea of how that happened, I don't remember any of it after the crash" Kit stammered, Robert didn't rise to the inquiry, instead, to Kit's amazement, the devil began to giggle lightly, then with more and more vigor, "an' here's me thinking what I did was stupid, least I 'ad a reason, mean, being in the RAF ain't exactly a picnic, but it sure beats ending up with your nose in the dirt over nothing" he jokes, Kit felt his temper rise as he stared at Robert incuriously, what a pompous pain in the-'' he thought, "well...well at least I was helping somebody when it happened, not dropping bombs or...or causing something like this!" he says motioning to the window out of breath, eyes flashing, an uneasy tension filled the room, Robert stopped laughing, a faint expression of sadness in his eyes, he turned to gaze out of the window again, "a dragon-family found you, in Dracovia I mean, along with your friend, brought you 'ere but let the bird stay with them, the nurse, don't even know her name, she won't say, she's been taking care o' you, I was shot down over Landenburg, an' let me tell you, this is nothing compared to that, fiery 'ell there, was the only one who made it, all my mates...well, ain't 'ere, some o' their last runs too, afore they were scheduled ta go home" Robert lamented, "no such thing as Alemanian airspace now lad, you knew that right?" he added, Kit didn't, he wasn't surprised though, the young pilot shook his head lightly, Robert continued to stare out of the window as a shrill sound, an even louder boom and several pieces of plaster falling on Kit's bed, dust everywhere, still didn't break the devil out of his reverie, "so, broke my leg, now I'm stuck 'ere, an' don't be expecting this to be anything fancy mate, ain't no food, no supplies, nothing, water wit' a bit of something in it, don't even ask anymore 'bout what it might be, I was tossed onto a truck and brought here, don't have anything to take us to the POW camp, so I'm guessing they think it'd be enough punishment to stay 'ere, can't go anywhere, city's blocked off" Robert informs, Kit's mouth was dry, he didn't even dare ask for a drink of water, especially not with the dire predictions the Tasmanian-devil was handing him, he'd faced hunger before, they weren't pleasant memories, he remembered fighting for every mouthful he could get, even the recollection was degrading, it was a full circle he supposed, always comes back to basic survival, but still...it was one thing to fight for yourself, it was quite another to take food from a child, or someone with a family, anyone...anyone at all who needed it even more desperately than him, the entire situation was unpleasantly ironic, he'd dealt with this before, now he was back in it, everything was crazy, turned upside-down, and there was no end to any of it, "so...we're the only ones?" he wondered, "only one's I know of, only one's stupid enough, or in bad enough shape ta be stuck here, an' it ain't gonna be pretty, when the Jepangnesians get 'ere" the devil answered and finally turned to stare back at the bear, an eerie quiet settled everywhere, even the constant disturbances outside had stopped, Kit could think of absolutely nothing to say, that explained the atmosphere of fear here, and with him right in the middle of it, Robert voiced the young pilot's thoughts, "should've saved some 'o those supplies mate, gonna need them, an' don't be thinking those lads are on our side, it ain't Usland troops, don't have a clue as to why they stopped where they did, ain't heard much 'o anything, but I knows it's gonna be brutal, count on it" he said, Kit didn't answer, only looked down at his hands; Linber, how many times had he read about the city, heard about what was happening, it had seemed like the heart of a terrible evil, still did, especially with what Kit had seen and experienced, he just hoped he could find a way to get out soon before everything came crashing down. Both individuals looked up as two pairs of footsteps entered the room: the young nurse, her eyes red, said something softly to the devil, who nodded before shooting a look of hatred towards the uniformed young man standing next to the girl, "she says to stay in bed for a bit more, says that she's sorry, but she's leaving" Robert translated, Kit stared at the young nurse, who motioned for him to lay down, he complied, she then walked over to Robert and lightly tapped his cast, he said nothing, only stared down at her, the uniformed-boy began to speak rapidly, addressing either the nurse, or Robert, or perhaps both, Kit waited for Robert to interpret, desperately wishing he could at least understand a small part what was being said, but it didn't sound too encouraging, "he says that 'e's taking 'is sister and leaving to go to the north, he heard a rumor that his village was bombed out, they haven't heard from their family in a week, so they're leaving ta go there" Robert translated, "sister?" another voice, softer, spoke up this time, Robert answered quietly before hugging the girl for a moment then stepping back as she made her way out of the door crying softly, the soldier looked first at Kit, then at Robert, he spat on the floor before following the girl out, Kit stared after him, hoping he didn't look as lost as he felt. So this was war. Nothing was simple, nothing was what it seemed. He couldn't quite find his voice. "She...she's worried?" he whispered, "she feels responsible for us I suppose, take care 'o someone, bound ta happen, told me all 'bout her brother though, bad seed that one, you know the type?" Robert explained, Kit nodded, eyes shut tightly, he knew, "she's not proud 'o him, or what's been done, but...she couldn't stop him could she? family couldn't either, really can't stand the thought of her being left with only him in the world, sad business, that's all" Robert continued, "th-they're pretty young..." Kit stammered, Robert suddenly looked aged, Kit's expression mirrored the devil's without him knowing it, "all that's left Kit, they're what's been left over an' now it rests on them" he said, Kit hated himself for asking, but he had to, he had to know, "so...we're pretty much outa luck huh?" he peeped, "pretty much, I'd go so far as to say that we're in a heap 'o trouble, you're stuck there, I ain't any good wit' this leg, so...hope you got a guardian angel somewhere-s, tell them we need some help" Robert answered, an understatement. Suddenly a shell, neither Kit nor Robert saw from which direction it came from, came smashing through the wall with a deafening roar: the roof came down on top of the pair with terrible pressure. Like a nightmare, Kit felt the debris on top of him, the dust that choked him, he didn't know what had happened to Robert, all he could hear was the shells, falling everywhere, unlike anything he could have imagined. He passed out for a while, and the pilot-rookie didn't want to come back, the pain was so terrible, and he was so tired of feeling it. There was darkness in front of him, making it difficult to see and focus, he had no idea of how long he had lain here, but he continued to cough up dust and who knows what else. A brisk wind hit him offering an unpleasant clue as to how hard the building had been hit. He lifted his head up slowly, weak and exhausted. Rubble was everywhere. Robert was nowhere to be seen. Kit began the long process of attempting to stand. He desperately surveyed the debris, seeing no sign of life anywhere. A cold rain began to fall from above, lightly at first, then with a vengeance. Chilled to the bone Kit gave up and started to crawl across what remained of the hospital. He could still hear the shelling, but there was no one in sight. Upon reaching an opening outside he raised his head a bit and saw the gray landscape: buildings blown apart everywhere. It was beyond his worst nightmare, and he'd had his fair share. Still unable to pick himself up, the bear-adolescent squeezed himself in between two large slabs, probably what remained of the roof, to wait out the rain. He kept hoping to hear Robert's cheery voice call out in that wasteland, but nothing did. Nothing but shells falling and the rain to accompany it. The memories of his family caused a fog of depression to surround Kit, an emotion he'd forgotten. What were they doing right now? most likely searching the ends of the earth for him. The fleeting vision of Higher-for-Hire, with it's lit windows and the calm peaceful lapping of the harbor's ocean close by took Kit away from this cold desolation, if only for a moment. How many times had Baloo tried to keep him safe, risked his own life even? The confusion, the overall disorienting atmosphere held sway. The young nurse, even to a much lesser degree, her brother. They were all part of this gruesome little soap opera, but they weren't what Kit had expected. What had he expected? Evil incarnate? These...kids, were what all of this was for? The city no longer looked like a threat with it's crumbling skyline and empty streets. Where exactly were the one's who had started it all? Where were the soldiers who live here to defend their home? They were the ones who needed to face up to all of this. Maybe there was simply nothing left. The bear wasn't even aware of the exact time that sleep overtook him. '''Stay tuned for Talespin movie; Finding your Roots, part one, Chapter eleven' Gallery Category:Fanon for the talespin series Category:Fan fiction